LEAVING THE ONLY HOME
Aria’s fingers trembled as they slowly moved toward the Alpha King’s hand.
For a brief moment, she hesitated.
This clearing… this pack… the forest surrounding them…
It had been her entire world.
Even if that world had never truly accepted her.
Memories flashed through her mind.
Endless chores.
Cold stares.
Whispers behind her back.
And tonight… the painful rejection in front of everyone.
Her chest tightened.
Maybe the Alpha King was right.
Maybe this place had never really been her home.
Taking a quiet breath, Aria finally placed her hand in his.
The moment their skin touched—
A sudden wave of warmth rushed through her body.
Stronger than before.
Her heart skipped.
It felt like something deep inside her had just recognized him.
Across the clearing, several wolves gasped softly.
They felt it too.
A faint pulse of energy spread outward from their joined hands.
The Alpha King glanced down at her briefly.
His golden eyes softened for just a second.
Then he gently closed his hand around hers.
“Good,” he said quietly.
But the moment didn’t last long.
“Wait.”
Kael’s voice suddenly cut through the clearing.
Both Aria and the Alpha King turned.
Kael stood a few steps away now, his expression darker than before.
Something inside him twisted painfully as he watched her hand resting in the Alpha King’s.
His wolf was restless.
Agitated.
Even though the mate bond was broken, a strange discomfort filled his chest.
He ignored it.
“This isn’t over,” Kael said.
The Alpha King raised one brow slightly.
“It ended the moment you rejected her.”
Kael’s eyes flashed.
“I rejected her as my mate,” he replied sharply.
“But she still belongs to this pack.”
Aria flinched slightly at the word belongs.
The Alpha King noticed.
His grip around her hand tightened slightly.
“She doesn’t belong to anyone,” he said calmly.
Kael’s gaze shifted to Aria.
For the first time that night, something almost like uncertainty appeared in his eyes.
“You would leave with him?” he asked.
Aria didn’t answer immediately.
She remembered the moment he had looked at her with disgust.
The moment he had rejected her without hesitation.
Slowly, she nodded.
“Yes.”
The single word was quiet.
But it was enough.
Kael’s jaw clenched.
Something in his chest twisted again, sharper this time.
Before he could speak again—
A low growl rolled through the clearing.
It came from the Alpha King.
The sound was deep.
Dangerous.
A clear warning.
“Careful, young Alpha,” he said slowly.
“Your right to question her ended when you broke the bond.”
The tension in the clearing thickened.
Even the warriors standing nearby looked uneasy.
The Alpha King then turned his attention back to Aria.
“We’re leaving.”
Without waiting for another argument, he began walking toward the forest path.
Aria followed beside him.
Step by step, they moved away from the clearing.
Away from the pack.
Behind them, the wolves watched in silence.
Some were shocked.
Some curious.
Others looked worried.
Lila stared at Aria with pure hatred burning in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Kael remained where he stood.
His gaze followed Aria’s retreating figure.
Something about this situation felt deeply wrong.
He couldn’t explain it.
The bond was broken.
He had rejected her.
So why did his wolf feel so restless?
Why did his chest feel strangely… empty?
Kael clenched his fists.
Then suddenly—
A sharp pain shot through his heart.
He stiffened slightly.
His wolf growled in confusion.
The pain vanished just as quickly as it came.
But it left Kael uneasy.
Across the clearing, his father—the Alpha—watched him carefully.
Because that kind of pain…
Sometimes happened when a wolf rejected a mate they weren’t meant to lose.
Meanwhile, deep within the forest path…
Aria suddenly stopped walking.
Her chest tightened again.
But this time the feeling was different.
Stronger.
Wilder.
A sudden wave of heat surged through her entire body.
She gasped as her knees weakened.
The Alpha King instantly stopped beside her.
“What’s wrong?”
Aria grabbed his arm to steady herself.
“I… I don’t know…”
Her breathing became uneven.
The heat inside her chest exploded again.
More powerful than before.
Her eyes widened in fear.
Because this time—
She heard something inside her mind.
A voice.
Low.
Ancient.
And unmistakably wolf.
Finally…